This invention relates generally to the field of mail processing, and in particular to the determination of the proper postage for mailings. More specifically, the invention is related to systems and methods for determining the proper postage of mailings without physically weighing each mailing.
Financial institutions, long distance telephone carriers, and a number of other organizations often desire to send a card and accompanying paperwork or other mail types to a client or potential client. For example, a new credit card customer may fill out a written form, and submit this information to a financial institution. Upon approval of the customer's credit, the financial institution then prepares and sends a credit card to the new customer, along with a paper card carrier and/or documentation. In order to send the card and documents to a customer, the information often is sent to another company to produce and issue cards on their behalf. For example, one such card issuing company is First Data Corporation (FDC).
To issue a card, the financial institution sends the information to FDC, typically in electronic form. Using this information a card is embossed and initialized with the appropriate information. The card is typically matched with a card carrier, such as a paper insert having an adhesive strip or slots adapted to receive the card. The card and card carrier are then placed into an envelope using automated equipment, such as a machine from Böwe Systec Group, headquartered in Augsburg, Germany. In some cases, additional pages or inserts may also be included. The automated processing of the cards, card carriers, inserts, statements and the like typically involves a multi-step process leading to the creation of a packet that is inserted into an envelope for mailing.
Related processes may also be employed to send mailings to individuals without the use of a card. For example, monthly financial statements are typically sent to consumers and include transaction information, outstanding balances, and the like and may be accompanied by inserts, such as marketing and advertising information, negotiable instruments, and the like. These materials may also be organized and placed into envelopes using commercially available mail processing equipment.
Whenever a mailing is sent, the weight of the mailing typically needs to be known in order to determine the appropriate postage. One standard way of determining the appropriate postage is simply to physically weight each envelope and then apply postage depending on the weight. However, this process can be inefficient and time consuming. In some cases, weighing is forgone in lieu of simply estimating the weight of the heaviest envelope as a safety measure. In so doing, the same postage is paid on all packets, even if they would have qualified for a lower postage based on their weight.